New Life in Los Angeles for the Rams

Optimism Surrounding the New-Look Rams in Los Angeles

The dust is beginning to settle for the Los Angeles Rams, and other 29 teams who watched a historic Super Bowl over the weekend that featured a 25-point comeback, Lady Gaga, and an offensive coordinator going rogue in the second half.

According to Nielsen, approximately 111.3 million people watched the super-bowl this year. Many of the viewers being fans of teams who were not playing in the game. It seems likely that many fans were comparing their own teams to those playing in Houston on Sunday, trying to figure out how your team can make the jump.

Well, if your a Los Angeles Rams fan, you’ve have done one of those things already, maybe two. The first step to getting to that level would be firing Jeff Fisher, the Rams were never going to win with Fisher at the controls. The second is to create optimism heading into the next season. Not just any kind of optimism though, I am talking the supreme most optimistic feeling a team could have, kind of optimism.

The Rams, in my opinion, have won the meaningless off season bowl. Only meaningless because you don’t win a division, conference, or Super Bowl by winning that. However you do secure a firm structure for the organization that may be in place for the foreseeable future.

When Stan Kroenke signed Sean McVay to be his new head coach, I believe there were two incentives. The first being winning football games, and second getting Jared Goff to the Pro Bowl, as he did with his Kirk Cousins in Washington.

The entire league took note of the performance of the Redskins quarterback this season. Cousins threw for 4,917 yards, to go with 25 touchdowns, and a career high quarterback passer rating of 72.1. Those numbers may have fans in Los Angeles salivating, as Goff was a highly regarded, top-level talent, and Cousins was a middle round pick in the NFL Draft.

McVay, being the youngest head coach in the league at 31-years-old, may not be accustom to the ins and outs of running a team, or possibly simply hasn’t lived long enough to gain the NFL wisdom required. So what does he do? Since be appointed head coach McVay has beefed up his coaching staff, and I mean beefed! He signs one the best defensive coordinators in football in ex-Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, and another promising quarter back whisperer, ex-Falcons quarterbacks coach Matt LaFleur.

The Wade Phillips signing raised eyebrows league wide, for many reasons. Why leave the Broncos? Two words; Aaron Donald. Mix in some southern California sunshine and we have ourselves a match that should result in a substantial difference on the defensive side of the ball. Hopefully Phillips will sure up the back end of the defense, and help mold the young Rams defense into a similar bully like the defense built in Denver.

Now this is no disrespect to former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. Williams coached a defense that ranked ninth in yards-allowed-per-game. Not too bad, however with Wade Phillips implementing his 3-4 scheme, expect him to utilize the young talent of that side of the ball, maybe adding another young pass rusher.

McVay wrapped up his coaching staff positions when he signed former Falcons quarterbacks coach Matt LaFleur. This signing is all about familiarity, McVay and LaFleur spent three seasons together from 2010-2013, while with the Washington Redskins. McVay was the tight ends coach, while LaFleur was with the quarterbacks.

LaFluer has had a hand in the development of Robert Griffin III, Notre Dame‘s Everett Golson, and newly-crowned NFL MVP: Matt Ryan.

Finally, it seems that Goff will get the quarterback whisperers every successful young NFL quarterback needs.

The Rams took care of the total makeover of the coaching staff that was needed to adjust with the times of the NFL. Be optimistic, Los Angeles, things are looking up.